Israel, much like the fortress of Tel-Chai that Jospeh Trumpeldor fought to defend against Arab conquerors in 1920, finds itself beseiged by enemies both within and without. Terrorists, would-be friends inside and outside Israel, and even bad government officials. Here are the discussions of one proud Zionist resident on the state of the nation and abroad.

If French government really wants to stop funding for mosques, they shouldn't object to Israel doing the same

Following a wave of terrorist attacks in France, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls is considering prohibiting foreign funding for mosques in the country and has suggested adopting a new model for relations with Islam.

The measures come in part as a response to growing public frustration with the French government's security failures leading up to the attacks.

Over the weekend, French newspaper Le Monde published research indicating that the vast majority of terrorists that took part in attacks throughout France were known to security services, and some of them had even been arrested and released.

As an example, the report named Normandy attacker Adel Kermiche, 19, who slit a priest's throat last week. He had been accused of terrorist activity and of trying to go to Syria in the past and was released from custody until his trial. Kermiche, who wore an electronic tracking device, was one of two attackers at the Normandy church. His partner in the murder, Abdel-Malik Nabil Petitjean, was also known to the French authorities as an Islamist operative.

Valls told Le Monde that Kermiche's release was "a failure that we must admit." According to him, French judges ruling on terrorism cases "must take a different case-by-case approach, given the jihadis' very advanced concealment methods."

True, the judges and other authorities have to shoulder serious blame for failing to keep the jihadis incarcerated properly. They'll have to cut off foreign funding for mosques too, and not allow any more to be built either.

Even as France is considering banning foreign financing of mosques, it – along with other European countries – is financing organizations intent on harming Israeli, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of Sunday's cabinet meeting.

“We intend to enter into a discussion with them [France] about this issue, because terror is terror everywhere, and incitement is incitement that encompasses the world, and the treatment needs to be unified -- as much as possible -- among the governments,” he said.

Netanyahu began his comments by saying that Israel was shocked by the cruel murder of a priest in Normandy last week.

“I heard about a discussion that took place last week in the French government about preventing foreign money from organizations that harm French citizens,” he said. “That sounds familiar to us. We are also concerned about these types of contribution to organizations that reject Israel's existence.”

Netanyahu said that he ordered a preliminary check into this matter, and found support from European countries, including France, to a number of organizations that incite against and call for a boycott of Israel, and who do not recognize the Jewish state’s right to exist.

The NGO Monitor watchdog group has found that between 2012 and 2015, Germany funneled at least $4.4 million to some 15 Israeli organizations, and 42 percent of the donations went to groups supporting an international boycott against Israel and policies negating Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.

The report found that the German Economic Cooperation and Development Ministry operates a Civil Peace Service (Ziviler Friedensdienst) project in Israel, but in fact, on the ground the project is headed by a different German group, KURVE Wustrow, which has partnered with two local organizations—the Israeli Coalition of Women for Peace and the Palestinian Popular Struggle Coordination Committee.

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About me

I'm Avi Green

From Jerusalem, Israel

I was born in Pennsylvania in 1974, and moved to Israel in 1983. I also enjoyed reading a lot of comics when I was young, the first being Fantastic Four. I maintain a strong belief in the public's right to knowledge and accuracy in facts. I like to think of myself as a conservative-style version of Clark Kent. I don't expect to be perfect at the job, but I do my best.